


Tie Me Down (and tell me you love me)

by PeridotQueen



Category: Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And it's gay, Denial of Feelings, Diana knits scarves, Diana teaches her, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Language, F/F, Falling In Love, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Immortal Isabel, Isabel doesn't know how to dance, Isabel is small and cold always, Mild Blood, Nightmares, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Movie(s), Post-War, Romantic Fluff, Sickfic, Slow Burn, Slow Dancing, Spooning, but they don't know it's gay yet, catching feelings, hand holding, im garbage, spoiler alert: it's gay, they live together, they're in love, we're all garbage, you're garbage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2018-11-23 15:03:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11404869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeridotQueen/pseuds/PeridotQueen
Summary: A collection of connected one-shots about Diana and Isabel living together after the war.(Basically I'm garbage and can't control myself and this is a mess and I have never written fluff before, but I love them and they make me FEEL things)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lykxxn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lykxxn/gifts), [quitwhiningstartjiving](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=quitwhiningstartjiving).



> So here is the result of me seeing Wonder Woman twice and falling into a hole filled with sin on Tumblr.  
> As stated in the summary, this is just a series of loosely connected Wonder Poison fluff one shots. I'm going to try and keep them in chronological order, but I make no promises. Mostly it'll just be me expanding on some headcanons that I have made up in my head by turning them into stories and adding a lot of random ideas that I get about how they would live together. The list of headcanons is on my Tumblr @im-erasing-you under the tag #wonderpoison just in case any of you wanted to check them out. If at any point in time anyone reading this has any ideas, prompts, or recommendations, leave a comment or message me at my Tumblr bc I love hearing from you people.  
> A special thanks to @quitwhiningstartjiving from Tumblr for being the first person to reach out to me, and for helping me with inspiration and ideas, you've really helped me a lot with this (probably more than you know).  
> And also to @polarbeary (lykxxn on Ao3) for noticing me when I lurked in your notifications and inviting me into the trash community that is the wonder poison shippers. I have a feeling we are going to do some amazingly terrible things together.  
> Thanks for indulging my rambles.  
> Here's the back story for this series:  
> -PQ

 

* * *

After the war, Diana doesn't see Isabel for years.

In that time, Diana is off taking care of the world, and Isabel is working on a kind of serum that will grant her eternal life.

When Diana chose not to kill Isabel back when they first met, Isabel swore that she would not rest until she could find the demigod again. This meant that she had to stop herself from aging past Diana. So with extensive research and self experimentation, she was able to create an injection that would grant her eternal life for as long as she took it.

During this time she was trying to keep up with what Diana was doing around the world which proved to be pretty easy. Through the evolution of world news, Isabel was able to read about this _'Wonder Woman'_ in the news. After all, she appeared on the cover of almost every paper for years and years after the first world war.

Every time she found an article about Diana, she would read it and then burn it. Watching Diana's picture burn up in flames gave her some sort of satisfaction, although sometimes after the picture was gone, she would miss it. Seeing Diana in the paper sometimes felt like her only connection to the demigod.

It wasn't that she was fueled out of hatred-- although that was most of it --she was fueled out of curiosity. Isabel wanted to open up Diana and see how the amazon worked. What made her tick. There was nothing more fascinating than Diana to Isabel. It just happened to be that they had a past together. A small, but very intense and conflicting past. 

Little did she know, Diana was keeping track of her too.

Diana never saw Isabel in person while she was tracking her, but she stayed close enough to make sure that the chemist wasn't planing anything dangerous. After enough time passed for Isabel to have aged considerably, Diana became confused as to how the chemist stayed in the same state. Diana didn't trust that Isabel would stay dormant for long, and she couldn't risk the chance of another war being started by Isabel's hands. Even though Isabel never outright did anything destructive, she was always plotting and creating things that could prove to be absolutely terrible. It wasn't the war that had turned her into who she was. The war was only an outlet for her creations, and those creations didn't stop after the war did.

Sometimes people would recognize Isabel's face and she would have to move. This eventually made her used to not staying in one place for long. It wasn't very emotionally hard to move often-- she stopped getting attached to things a very, very long time ago-- it was just physically tiring. Unknowingly, it also made it harder for Diana to keep track of her.

After years of staying on each other's trails, the two ran into each other in a small town somewhere not far from Rome.

There, Diana explains that she has been keeping track of Isabel since the end of World War I and questions how Isabel is even still alive. Isabel says nothing, but listens to Diana's story in horror and then leaves.

Furious that Diana has been keeping tabs on her, and very shaken after seeing the amazon in person after so long, Isabel decides to wipe out the town and escape in the chaos. Thankfully, Diana is able to stop her before she can do any damage, and from there Diana takes her into custody and moves her somewhere isolated where Diana can frequently check up on her.

Sometime in the late 2000's, Diana comes back to check up on Isabel and is alerted by the locals that 'the evil Doctor Poison has been spotted and must be killed'. 

Diana then decides that the best thing for Isabel is for her to move in with Diana somewhere new.

Isabel strongly resists at first, but because she is so tired of having to move so frequently, she gives in.

Which is how they end up as housemates.

This series begins a long time after that somewhere in modern day.


	2. Quiet as a Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel wears socks around the house and never fails to creep up on Diana when she isn't paying attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am full of sin.

 

* * *

 

Diana has gotten used to eating breakfast and almost every other meal alone. So even though she always hopes for her house mate, Isabel, to join her, the smaller woman sometimes slips Diana's mind while she sits at their kitchen table in the mornings.

She stares out the window while taking a sip of her coffee. The newspaper is particularly boring this morning, but she still takes the time to read through every page just to make sure nothing unusual has happened.

The world outside the kitchen window is lit with early morning sunshine and Diana can hear the soft chirps of birds creeping in through the glass. She smiles softly to herself, happy to be awake for such a beautiful morning.

Something slams behind her.

Diana jumps and spins around in her chair, shocked out of her early morning trance.

She isn't sure what she had been expecting, but the sight of her house mate and ex-war chemist certainly wasn't on the list.

Isabel Maru was slightly hunched over with exhaustion, her hair messily falling over the scarf she had tied around her lower face to hide her scars. She held a carton of milk loosely in her hand, her dark eyes finding their way to Diana.

"Sorry." She mumbles, the sound barely making its way past the scarf tied around her moth.

Diana lets out a sigh of relief. "No worries."

With the forgiveness from Diana, Isabel turns and sets the milk carton on the counter. She then grabs the pot of coffee Diana had made and proceeds to pour some into a mug from their collection.

The milk goes in after the coffee and the chemist swirls the mug around gently in her hands before lowering her scarf just enough to take a sip. She hums with satisfaction and Diana smiles softly to herself, glad that the coffee she made has reached Isabel's standards.

"Thank you." She lifts the mug up slightly to agnowledge Diana and then turns to leave the kitchen. Probably to recede back into her lab.

"You won't stay?" Diana asks, not bothering to hide her hopeful tone of voice.

Isabel pauses at the doorway of the kitchen as if she is considering the offer. "I have work to get back to." She replies.

"It can't wait?" Diana presses on.

Isabel hums again, this time in defeat, as she turns back to Diana and makes her way to the seat across from her at the table. 

Diana takes note of the long black socks on Isabel's feet. She decides that they must be the reason Isabel was able to sneak up on her.

"You don't have to wear the scarf, you know. It's only me." Diana lifts her coffee to her lips and watches Isabel carefully.

"It's cold." Isabel only stars down at the mug that she clutches close to her body.

"I can change the temperature." Diana offers.

Isabel shakes her head. "Won't help."

Diana sighs and turns her head back to the window.

The minutes of silence are eventually broken by Diana, who brings up the one thing she knows can get Isabel talking. "What are you working on down in the basement?"

Isabel looks up and meets Diana's eyes, slightly surprised by the interest Diana has shown in her current work. "Stronger versions of my life serum." Isabel offers a vague piece of information to test Diana's interest.

"Is there something wrong with your current version?" Diana tries to replace the concern in her tone with indifferent curiosity.

Isabel shakes her head. "No, I only want to see how far I can push it."

"Have you made any progress?"

"Not yet." The chemist's eyebrows furrow and Diana picks up on hints of frustration so she drops the topic to avoid dampening Isabel's mood.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get there." Diana looks away from Isabel and focuses her attention on the world outside her window.

While Diana isn't looking, Isabel unwraps her scarf and drinks some of her coffee. She then wraps herself back up quickly to prevent Diana from seeing anything.

Diana suppresses a smile and continues to look out the window. 

Having the chemist around isn't something Diana ever imagined she would want, but here they are. Even though she only appears on rare occasions, and when she is present she barely speaks, Diana looks forward to the moments they spend together.

Diana hopes that someday Isabel won't feel like she has to cover her scars.

That someday, maybe, she'll be able to accept the love that, deep down, the chemist constantly yearns for.


	3. Even in the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Isabel is the little spoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mask off, fuck it, mask off

* * *

Night has crept up slowly on Diana and Isabel who have spent their evening sitting together in their living room. The light that fills the room comes from the fireplace where crackling flames heat up the house. Diana keeps a steady supply of wood in the shed located in their backyard. Usually during the winter time Diana makes fires to keep Isabel warm. The chemist prefers the natural fires to the heating that is installed in their house, and it's cheaper so Diana doesn't mind the extra work. Anyway, Diana doesn't really care about the money; she's just in it to make Isabel happy.

They've been sitting together for a couple hours now. Diana is knitting a new scarf that she'll give to Isabel when she's done. It'll be another long, colorful one for her to add to the forever growing collection of Diana's gift scarves in her closet. This one is a mix of crimson and a dark gold.

Across from her, Isabel is curled up in the corner of the couch with a blanket wrapped around her small frame. She's got her hair pulled up in a loose bun and there are small strands of the dark locks falling down past her face. A book with a soft, dark green cover is held in her hands by the spine, and based on how many pages are resting on the front cover, she's a little past the half way point of the book. Diana isn't sure what it is that Isabel is reading, but it's probably something about science. Either way, Isabel looks nice reading it and Diana lets her eyes linger on her face for a little while before she goes back to her knitting.

Tonight is one of those nights where Isabel's eyes are tired from working in the dark basement, so she's wearing her reading glasses. They're thin, black, and wiry with circular frames. Usually, they're tucked away in Isabel's room because she doesn't enjoy wearing them, but tonight is an exception. Which means that her day must've been exceptionally stressful, mentally and physically. Diana is glad that in this moment, Isabel is able to relax.

Isabel yawns and closes her book.

Diana looks away quickly so that Isabel won't know she was staring.

"I'm going to bed." The chemist unwraps herself from the blanket and stands up, her voice groggy with exhaustion.

Diana ignores the slight twinge of disappointment that sparks up inside of her. "Tired already?" It's not often that Isabel gets to bed before at least ten in the evening. Now, however, it is only eight-thirty.

Isabel only nods in response and makes her way out of the living room.

"I'll see you in the morning?" Diana hopes that maybe tomorrow will be one of those rare occasions when Isabel joins her for breakfast.

"Yes," Isabel rests her hand on the banister of the stairs that lead to the second floor of their house. "Goodnight." She takes the first step of her ascension.

"Goodnight." Diana watches her tiredly move up the stairs.

Now that Isabel has gone, Diana isn't really inclined to stay in the living room knitting. She knows that she won't finish the scarf tonight-- she still has a long way to go --and so she works on it for a little while longer before she decides to turn in.

By this time, the fire that once burned in their living room has gone out and all that is left are glowing ashes. Diana admires the scene for a second or two before she leaves.

Before she goes to her room, Diana makes sure all the lights are out in the downstairs of the house. She checks the doors to see that they're locked, secures the windows tightly closed, and pulls their curtains together. It's a habit she's had for a long time and has no desire to break anytime soon. Her lap around the house makes her feel safe. She doesn't trust the outside world, and she doesn't trust the people in it. Although she still does love them deeply, she is no longer as naive as she was long ago when she first entered the world of men.

She is quiet when she goes up the stairs; she doesn't want to wake Isabel. She isn't sure if the chemist is already asleep, but she isn't going to take the chance of assuming that she isn't.

The door to Isabel's room is, of course, closed, but that isn't anything unusual. Diana resists the urge to open it and check up on her. She knows that Isabel would want her privacy. The idea of someone being around her without her knowledge while she sleeps bothers Isabel, and Diana knows this.

So, she leaves the chemist alone and instead goes straight to her own room.

Diana flicks the light on once her door is closed and moves into her room's shower.

The bathroom is cold, so Diana turns the knob of the shower to 'hot' and brushes her teeth while she waits for the water to heat up.

Once steam begins to fill the room, the amazon strips down and enters the shower.

The water almost stings against her skin, but she doesn't mind. It feels nice in contrast to the cold of the rest of the house. Diana finds herself thinking about if Isabel is warm enough in her room. Hopefully, she is doing just fine underneath the extensive amount of blankets that are on her bed and in her closet.

Diana washes quickly and then gets out to dry off. There is steam fogging the mirror which she wipes away with the palm of her hand.

She lets her hair dry naturally after she has brushed it and then she gets into bed.

It's lonely without Isabel there, although Diana tries to pretend that it isn't. The bed is big enough for two people, and even bigger if you consider how small Isabel is. Diana stares at the ceiling and thinks about Isabel. Her heart gets a little jumpy and so she stops her thoughts and turns over on her side to look at the wall to her right. 

Before she knows it, she has fallen asleep.

* * *

Diana's door creaks and her eyes flutter open.

No light enters the room, but Diana can hear the soft sound of footsteps making their way towards her bed.

She feels the bed move slightly and the covers lift up as Isabel slips under her sheets.

Diana smiles softly to herself.

Isabel shifts around a little bit before getting settled.

They lie with their backs to each other, inches apart, for a long time. Neither of them fully asleep.

Diana knows that Isabel will have her mask off, her horrid scarring exposed to the air of night. She knows that night is the only time when Isabel will allow the scars to breathe. At night, when the dark is suffocating. When she can't even see her own hands held up centimeters away from her face.

The amazon rolls over and wraps her arm around Isabel's waist. She pulls the smaller woman close to her and feels as Isabel tenses up only to relax moments later.

It wasn't always like this. When Isabel first had to move in with Diana she stayed strictly to her bedroom quarters. She only came out when absolutely necessary. And since the chemist didn't often feel the need to eat, it wasn't very often that Diana got to see her face.

For a while, that was how Diana liked it. But as time passed, Diana became lonely in the house and ached to see the familiar face of the only person still alive from her beginning days.

They didn't ever speak when Isabel would come out of her room, but when Diana became lonely, she would sometimes try and prompt Isabel into talking to her. On rare occasions, Isabel would give her a hum or scoff in acknowledgment, but most of the time she would just flat out ignore Diana. That was only to be expected, so it did not surprise Diana that Isabel was so reluctant to speak. After all, Isabel was already a very quiet person under normal circumstances. So add on their past together, and the fact that Diana was practically holding her captive in the house, and it didn't really make Isabel any more open to the amazon.

Diana liked to think that the reason Isabel eventually began to speak to her was because the chemist was lonely too.

It was a very long time, filled with very few words, before Isabel began staying in Diana's room at night.

Diana didn't even know she was doing it at first, but one morning the amazon woke up to find Isabel curled up on the ground in the corner of her room with a blanket clutched tightly around her. It was definitely a surprise, and Diana wasn't really sure how to react at first, but she decided that instead of saying anything, she would just pretend to be asleep until Isabel left the room. She did it for Isabel's sake because she knew that the chemist would be terribly embarrassed if she knew Diana had discovered her.

This changed when Diana woke up one night to find Isabel having a nightmare.

It must've been the scared noises Isabel was making because Diana would've had no other reason to wake up so suddenly that late at night.

_Diana sat up quickly and searched the room with her eyes to find the source of the noise. Her eyes soon fell on Isabel's shifting body that was laying on the ground in the corner of Diana's room, furthest from where the amazon slept. It took her an even shorter time to realize what was happening with Isabel; Diana was no stranger to nightmares._

_So she got out of bed and moved towards Isabel._

_Once close enough to touch the sleeping woman, Diana knelt down and gently touched Isabel's cheek._

_The contact woke Isabel up and she suddenly jolted backwards and into the wall. She was actively pushing herself against the surface to try and get farther away from Diana than what was physically possible._

_"It's me," Diana is careful with how she moves now. Her hands are slowly, but firmly placed on either side of Isabel's face. She then realizes that Isabel's mask is not on._

_Isabel's eyes are wide and her breathing is unsteady, so Diana does not look away from her, and instead gives her something steady to hold on to._

_"It's me." She whispers to Isabel._

_Her words seem to make a small difference to the chemist and Isabel begins to calm down._

_One of Isabel's hands is rested on top of Diana's on the side of Isabel's face where her scar is._

_"Come here," Diana takes Isabel's hands in her own and she brings Isabel to her bed._

_Isabel is hesitant to lay with Diana, but the amazon insists, so she complies. She tells herself that it is because she is too tired to resist, but she knows that in reality it's because she doesn't want to be alone._

_Diana lets Isabel get comfortable before she gets in bed with her. Much to Isabel's surprise, Diana then pulls her in close and holds on to her waist._

_Isabel is glad that it's so dark because it means Diana can't see the color that rushes to her face._

The morning after their encounter, neither of them say anything about it and Diana continues to talk to Isabel normally as if nothing had happened.

This lead to Isabel coming into Diana's room more often and sleeping in her bed. Diana still doesn't speak about it to Isabel because she's afraid that if she does, Isabel will get spooked and will stop coming.

It's not every night that Isabel sleeps with Diana, but it's frequent enough that Diana regularly expects and looks forward to it. Tonight just happened to be one of those nights.

Now, in the present, Diana lets her finger lightly brush Isabel's scarring and Isabel only slightly tenses up. Isabel is constantly trying to get used to Diana's attention and it's especially hard when it comes to her wound.

Diana kisses the side of Isabel's face and then rests her head back down on the pillow that they share.

And Isabel wouldn't have it any other way.

 


	4. Still Craving Your Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel doesn't know how to dance.  
> Diana makes it her mission to change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short, but I got randomly inspired while listening to Louis Armstrong so this is just what came out of it.
> 
> Anyway, next up I'm either going to have some angsty shit or Diana is going to build a blanket fort for Isabel. We'll see ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯.
> 
> ALSO BIG THANKS TO ANYONE WHO HAS LEFT A COMMENT OR KUDOS BC YOU GUYS ARE GREAT AND ILY YOU MAKE MY DAY
> 
> (Disclaimer, obviously I don't own any of the lyrics to 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' I didn't come up with that shit, but it's a great song and you should listen to the version sung by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald)
> 
> Have fun, kids.  
> -PQ

* * *

 

Diana and Isabel own a dishwasher.

This is what Diana reminds the chemist the first time she finds her cleaning the dishes by hand in their kitchen.

Isabel tells her that cleaning them by hand clears her mind.

Eventually, this becomes a sign to Diana that maybe Isabel's thoughts are getting the best of her. And usually, Diana steers clear of Isabel during these times just to give her a little privacy, but today she has a question burning in her mind.

It's a bit overcast outside, and the temperature is just beginning to dip down for the winter so everything is just kind of gray. This is what Isabel sees as she stares out of the window, her hands moving mechanically in circles, cleaning off a plate. She thinks about her work and then tries to think about anything but her work. Ultimately she fails, and she goes back to thinking about chemicals and their reactions with each other. There's one formula that has been fucking with her for the past couple of days that she just can't seem to figure out. Every time she thinks that she has gotten closer, she's actually only gotten farther away. So instead of spending another pointless day in the darkness of her lab, she's up on the surface cleaning.

That is, until Diana enters the room and starts talking to her.

"Have you ever danced with anyone?"

The plate slips out of Isabel's hands, but the water that fills the sink catches it.

"Did I startle you?"

Isabel turns around to find a smirking Diana leaning against the doorway to their kitchen.

"No," She lies. "What did you ask me?"

"Have you ever danced with anyone before?" Diana crosses her arms in front of her chest.

Isabel shakes her head and looks at Diana, confused. "Where is this coming from?"

Diana shrugs. "I don't know," She smiles. "I'm curious."

"Well," Isabel turns back around to the dishes. "I haven't."

It's a good thing that Isabel isn't looking because Diana's mouth falls open a little and it takes her a moment to remember that she needs to speak. "Why not?" She doesn't know why, exactly, the fact that Isabel has never danced with anyone surprises her so much, but it does. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Diana just assumes everyone is so interested in Isabel and who she is.

Isabel sighs. "I don't know." She doesn't like talking about stuff like this. It makes her seem inexperienced and --she thinks-- stupid.

"No one has ever asked you?" Diana somehow still finds this hard to believe.

"No," Isabel turns around again, this time faster. "No one has ever asked me." She snaps.

Diana is taken back by her sudden bitterness. She regrets pushing like that. "Their loss, I suppose."

Isabel visibly softens. She opens her mouth and then closes it. Instead of speaking, she shrugs and goes back to the dishes.

Diana retreats to her room where she devises a plan.

Isabel finishes cleaning the dishes.

* * *

The next time Isabel cleans the dishes by hand, a couple weeks have passed and she has forgotten about all the questions that Diana asked her.

Now she's stuck thinking about a new issue with new chemicals and a new formula, and, somehow, she is still stuck. As if it wasn't frustrating enough before.

Today's view out of the kitchen window is almost the same as before. The only difference now is that it's raining. Not heavy drops, but enough to stick to the window and make it hard to see more than a few feet out. There is no thunder, but the rain is loud enough on it's own.

Isabel hears trumpets softly playing behind her.

She turns around quickly, not exactly sure what to expect at all.

It's only her housemate, Diana, holding a set of speakers in one of her hands and clicking her phone off with the other. She looks up at Isabel with hopeful eyes. Isabel doesn't know what it all means.

"What are you doing?" She tries not to be on the defensive side.

Diana sets the speakers down on the counter. "Dance with me." She holds out her hand towards Isabel.

Isabel suddenly remembers the conversation that had occurred a few weeks ago between them. She shakes her head. "I don't know how." It pains her to admit.

The amazon seems unfazed. "I'll teach you." She smiles.

_'Stars shining bright above you...'_

She really just wants to continue doing the dishes; she doesn't want to learn anything new, and she definitely doesn't want to hold Diana's hand.

Except maybe she does.

_'Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"...'_

So, with great hesitation, she pulls off the rubber gloves that she uses to clean the dishes with, and she slips her hand onto Diana's.

With the invitation, Diana steps forward and pulls Isabel towards her until they're just barely touching.

Isabel hides her blush by turning her head away from Diana's. She resists the urge to hold tighter onto Diana's hand.

"I'm going to put my hand here." Diana slides her arm around Isabel's waist and rests her hand just on the small of Isabel's back.

_'Birds singing in the sycamore tree...'_

Isabel inhales sharply. She can feel Diana's palm on her back and her heart is pounding.

"And you put your hand here." Diana lets go of one of Isabel's hands for a moment to direct her free one to Diana's neck. Once it's in the right spot, she takes back the hand that she previously let go.

_'Dream a little dream of me...'_

Diana's skin is soft underneath Isabel's hand and she can feel Diana's hair brushing against her fingers. She wants to run her hand through Diana's hair, to feel it in her palm. It feels softer than anything Isabel has ever felt before and she suddenly feels self conscious.

"There we go," Diana smiles down at Isabel. "We're dancing."

Isabel hums in response, not sure how she would sound if she tried to speak now. She's not even sure what to say at all.

Despite her cool exterior, Diana is having about the same reactions as Isabel.

Because how, in a million years, could she have convinced Isabel to do anything like this with her. Less than emotional, distant, small, cold-- physically and emotionally --, Isabel Maru.

But then again, Diana was beginning to find out that maybe Isabel wasn't really any of those things. She may still be cold and small, but she definitely had a lot more feelings than she let on.

Slowly, but surely, Diana was uncovering each and every layer of this reserved woman.

_'Stars fade, but I linger on, dear...'_

At the same time, Diana is uncovering new layers of herself.

Like maybe she thinks of Isabel as more than just a housemate.

_'Still craving your kiss...'_


	5. The Darkest Nights Mean You See the Stars the Most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst™

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is from the song "Dreamers" by K.Flay so go check that out if you wanna.
> 
> This chapter is loosely based off an AU created by Oh-sehhun on Tumblr that was brought to my attention bc Polarbeary tagged me in it (cause she's trash). It goes like this: "I was about to punch you in the face, but you caught my fist in your hand and just held it and I was so impressed all I could do was whisper bro and now we’re dating AU".
> 
> I finished this at like 3am.
> 
> Enjoy  
> -PQ

* * *

 The basement has been and will always be off limits to Diana, even though it is under the roof of the house she owns.

When Isabel came into --or was dragged into-- her life, she claimed two things: her own room, and the basement. However, it only became her 'lab' once she decided to come out of her room and get semi-comfortable with being around Diana. Which didn't happen for a long time, so up until that point the basement was still a normal area of the house.

But when Isabel took it over, the space grew full of flasks and beakers and test tubes and all sorts of things that Diana couldn't name or didn't want to try naming. Isabel quickly decided that Diana was not to enter the underground area. She said it was 'too dangerous' and she didn't want Diana messing with her work. Of course, Diana didn't let her do any of this until she was sure that Isabel wasn't going to create anything deadly.

When Isabel passed Diana's test, she allowed the chemist to build a lab in her basement. Even though Diana wasn't too keen on the idea of Isabel having her own private work space, at the end of the day it made the chemist happy and that, Diana learned, made her happy too.

As time went on though, and Isabel began spending more and more time under the house, Diana became curious and, unsurprisingly, a little worried. She didn't know anything about what was happening in Isabel's lab besides what the chemist told her; and that was next to nothing.

Often times she would have to hold herself back from barging into the lab when she would hear a sound that seemed a little odd. Most of the time she would just stand very close to the door and listen carefully for the sound of something not being right.

Up until today, a sound like that had not occurred since Isabel got sick.

It's a Saturday afternoon, the sun is hidden behind clouds and the sky is darkening in the distance.

Diana is sitting in the kitchen on her laptop reading the news because the paperboy had failed to deliver earlier that morning. She has her hands clasped in front of her mouth with her elbows propped up on the table, and she's squinting at the screen.

Nothing too drastic is happening in the outside world. At least, not anything that requires her to take action; it's nothing humans can't handle themselves.

That's when she hears it. The loud crash, the sound of breaking glass, and the sound of her housemate yelling something in German that Diana doesn't bother to listen to because she's already running down the stairs and to the basement door.

Diana's mind has a million different thoughts racing through it, and not a single one of them is positive. Maybe this is it; maybe this is the time that Isabel really does fuck up and somehow ends up accidentally killing her self, or maybe killing a lot more than just herself.

Her heart is pounding as she swings open the door to Isabel's lab. The door slams against the wall and makes a kind of cracking sound, like splitting wood.

Diana quickly takes in her new surroundings.

Everything appears to be in order, except for what's in the center of the lab.

There, Isabel is clutching her left arm's wrist with her right hand and tightly making a fist with her left. Diana notices that there is blood running down her left arm and onto the floor. There's a shattered test tube on the table in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Isabel is staring at Diana, her eyes full of something that Diana has not seen since their last 'incident'.

Diana takes a step forward. "I heard you yell." She holds out her hand, concern painted over her face.

"You can't be in here." Isabel steps back, still clutching her wrist.

"You're bleeding." Diana's eyes are wide with fear.

Isabel looks at her hand swiftly and then looks back to Diana. "Get out." She hisses.

Diana shakes her head. "Let me help you."

"I don't want your help!" Now it's Isabel who takes a step forward, although it's only a small one. It's the only thing she can do to make herself seem more intimidating.

However, Diana is not intimidated at all by Isabel, and Isabel's actions just result in Diana becoming more concerned.  
This isn't the first time Isabel has reacted like this towards her.

Over the many years that the two have lived together, Diana has noticed that sometimes when things get overly stressful for Isabel, whether it be her work or something else entirely, she is hit with violent panic attacks that are not typically easily calmed down. It's not something that happens very often, but it has occurred enough to the point where Diana has picked up on certain patterns.

"Isabel," Diana moves slowly and in short steps towards Isabel. "You need--"

She's cut off. "You don't know what I need!" Isabel snaps, moving away from Diana. "You don't know anything." Her jaw is clenched tightly and she's still bleeding from her hand.

"That's not true," Diana holds out both her hands so that Isabel can see them. "I know you."

Isabel laughs menacingly and shakes her head. She picks up a beaker from the table next to her with her bleeding hand. "Get out!" She flinches from the pain of grabbing an object with an open wound, and then recoils her arm to throw the glass beaker at Diana.

Thankfully, Diana is able to use her speed as an advantage, and she reaches Isabel before the beaker has even left her fingertips. She stops her by grabbing onto her wrist.

Isabel is so startled that she drops the beaker and it shatters at their feet. She looks up at Diana with wide eyes.

The sudden skin-to-skin contact between her wrist and Diana's hand shocks her out of her rage. Her breathing picks up and she begins to hyperventilate.

"No," Diana doesn't let go of her wrist, but she holds it more gently. "No, hey, look at me."

Isabel's eyes are jumping quickly around to everything except Diana. "I couldn't fix it." She tries to say it as forcefully as possible, but it somehow comes out weak and quiet.

"Look at me." Diana wants to take Isabel's chin in her hand and turn her head towards her, but she knows that will only make things worse so she just waits for Isabel to look at her on her own.

"Breathe, Isabel." Diana takes a deep breath in and looks at Isabel expectantly.

Isabel takes a few quick breaths and then tries to copy Diana.  
Diana nods in encouragement.

"That's it, keep going." She counts in her head and doesn't stop until she gets to ten.

By then, Isabel has significantly calmed down, and her breathing is back to normal.

"I'm forgetting things." Isabel shakes her head quickly to herself. "Simple things."

"That's ok." Diana brings Isabel's hand towards her and turns it over so she can inspect the palm.

Isabel looks down at her bleeding hand in Diana's. "It's like I'm..." She trails off.

Diana looks into Isabel's eyes. "You're what?" She prompts.

Isabel purses her lips, hesitating like she's fighting with herself. "Defective." She says it with such hate. Hate that she feels towards herself.

The concern on Diana's face is replaced with a deep sadness. She doesn't speak, but she lets go of Isabel's hand and wraps her arms around the chemist's shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

Reluctant at first, Isabel isn't sure what to do with herself in Diana's grasp. She just stands there for a couple seconds before slowly putting her arms around Diana.

Diana doesn't have to say anything to Isabel to argue with her statement. Isabel knows through Diana's actions. She knows through how Diana looks at her when she thinks Isabel isn't paying attention, how she smiles when Isabel walks in a room. In all the small things that Diana has done towards Isabel in the past.

Isabel knows exactly how Diana feels about her.

No questions asked.

* * *

Later, when they're sitting at the kitchen table and Diana is plucking glass out of Isabel's wounded hand, Isabel speaks again.

"I'm sorry." She whispers.

Diana shakes her head. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Isabel knows that's not true. "I was doing so well," She swallows back her emotions. "It had been so long since--"

"You are still doing well." Diana pulls out the last shard of glass. Isabel doesn't flinch. "Nothing has changed."

Isabel doesn't meet Diana's eyes. She keeps her gaze glued to her palm. Diana is still holding her hand.

Diana is gentle while she wraps gauze around Isabel's deep gash. She clips the bandage tightly closed around the chemist's hand.  
"There," She doesn't let go. "Finished."

Isabel looks up at Diana and for a moment she could've sworn Diana was looking at her lips. Must've just been her imagination.

And there arises the same self conscious feeling that Diana gave Isabel that day when they danced in the kitchen so long ago. Or what feels like so long ago now that they're frozen in time trapped in each other's eyes.

Diana pulls her hand away and is seemingly yanked out of a trance.  
"I can redress it later after the wrapping gets old." Diana stands up and brushes her hands together.

"I can take care of myself." Isabel speaks in her best convincing voice.

Diana smirks. "I know."

Isabel looks away, her heart speeding like a race horse.

Diana turns to leave.

"Thank you."

She looks back over her shoulder.

"You're welcome."

And then she's gone.

* * *

In the safety of her own room, behind closed doors, all Diana wants is to be with Isabel; to keep her company. She wants to hold back onto her hand and to not let go this time. She wants to--

No, she doesn't want that. She can't want that. That is not allowed.

Diana hits the back of her head against her bedroom door and exhales.

She doesn't even know if Isabel considers them to be friends. Honestly, she would be surprised if Isabel considered them to be anything at all.

It just seems so unlikely to Diana that Isabel would ever see her as anything other than her enemy; unfortunately trapped together living in the same house.

And, in some crazy way, Isabel is thinking the same thing.


	6. In the Right Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana gets cock-blocked by a flock of birds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this took me forever, and I fucked around with a couple other ideas before actually writing this one, but this is the longest chapter in this fic so far. 
> 
> I'm currently finishing the last couple hours of a ten hour car trip right now, so I won't be able to respond to any comments until like 11 or 12. Don't think I'm ignoring your comment or anything bc I would never I love all of you guys too much.
> 
> If you want to look at some images of the town that inspired the town in this fic look up some pics of Marketstreet (I think) in Wilmington, North Carolina and maybe you'll get a better feel for things. Of course, the field and lake and shit are all from my brain but like the main town is kind of based of that place.
> 
> Anyway, I'm gonna stop talking now so you guys can read the damn chapter.
> 
> I hope this makes you guys suffer.
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -PQ

* * *

Diana sits alone at the kitchen table reading the newspaper she had neglected earlier that morning.

The sun has long since dropped below the horizon. The darkness of night blankets the sky and steals away any visibility once held by the human eye.

She looks for events; for things to do. Time in the house has grown boring with Isabel hiding away in her lab. Diana is itching to get out and do something. It's been so long since she has done anything other than going for a short walk.

One of the bad things about living in such a small town mostly cut off from modern civilization is that there isn't ever much going on.

This is fine by Isabel since she almost never leaves the house. However, Diana often grows restless cooped up in the house.  
She searches thoroughly in hopes of finding anything even remotely interesting.

That's when she sees a relatively small ad on a page in the paper. It's advertising a fair being put together by the local people to promote businesses and such. Much to Diana's surprise, the fair just happens to be taking place tomorrow.

At first, Diana is confused as to why she hasn't heard about the event from anyone around town, but she then remembers that it's been a while since she's spoken to any of them at all. She's been so caught up in her own thoughts and has neglected to leave the walls of her home.

Then the excitement kicks in and Diana jumps up to grab a pen.  
She quickly circles the ad and decides to show it to Isabel.

It's very unlikely that she'll be able to convince Isabel to go with her, but she'll try anyway. Diana has found that she enjoys spending time with Isabel a lot more than she thought she would.

The amazon is perfectly comfortable spending time on her own, but with Isabel it's just a little more pleasant. She thinks that it's because spending time with anyone adds joy to an experience. Diana ignores that maybe it's Isabel specifically that she wants to be around.

So eager to share her findings with Isabel, Diana forgets to knock on the chemist's closed bedroom door. Instead she just opens it and starts talking.

"I found this thing," She pushes the door open and looks around the room until she finds Isabel.

"We've got to do together."  
Diana begins to speak again, but stops when she notices how Isabel is sitting at her desk. Her face is turned away from Diana in a way that looks like she shifted quickly.

Maybe, Diana realizes, Isabel had been doing something before she barged in.

"Sorry," Diana all of a sudden feels embarrassed. "I should've knocked." She takes a step back to leave the room.

Isabel waves her hand, still turned away from Diana. "It's fine," One of her hands is clasped tightly to the edge of her desk. "Just don't--"

Diana sees her flinch.

"Don't do it again." Isabel finishes.

Diana looks around the surface of Isabel's desk to find any hint of what she had been doing before Diana intruded.

Her eyes find a small opened container of something that she quickly identifies as scar cream.

She sighs under her breath. "Isabel.."

Isabel shakes her head. "Don't start."

But Diana doesn't want to leave Isabel like this; feeling ashamed and frightened. "Isabel, it's only me." Diana still has one hand on the door.

The other woman doesn't respond. She keeps her head turned away.

Diana takes a step into the room, letting go of the door. "Turn to me."

Isabel's grip on the desk tightens. "Diana, don't--"

"Turn to me, Isabel," Diana is close to her now. "Please."

Everything in Isabel says no; says horrible things. Horrible things that Diana shouldn't see. Diana shouldn't have seen anything. Horribly disfigured, twisted, ugly Isabel should not be shown to Diana. Diana who is so naive-- no --who was once naive. Naive until she met Isabel who showed her how cruel and how destructive the world could be.

It was not just the world of men Diana was dragged into so long ago; it was the world of evil. Evil that Isabel had brought into the light-- into the air --she had killed so many people, and yet here Diana is.

And how was that supposed to work? What has Isabel ever done in all the time she has been alive that would bring her even remotely close to deserving someone like Diana?

Diana who has stayed with her through everything. Who took her in. Who talked to her and cared for her. Diana who gives her so much and asks for so little in return.

She won't admit it, but she's changed for Diana. It was a slow change, but Diana won her over with the stupid scarves and blankets and the dancing and poorly cooked food, because Diana was trying. And who else had done that for Isabel?

Isabel hates it, she hates it so much. She hates how Diana makes her feel. How sometimes she accidentally calls this place home. But it isn't this place, Isabel barely knows this place; it's Diana. Diana is home and Isabel is always so afraid of how long it will last. How long until she snaps, until she messes it all up, because she knows she will. Sooner or later.

But Diana seems so oblivious to it, she seems so hopeful, so supportive. Like she couldn't imagine Isabel ever going back to the person she was when they first met.

Sometimes Isabel thinks she could. So easily, she could. There will always be a part of her left behind from the war. But maybe it would be a lot harder than she thinks because of Diana. Because of what Diana has done for her.

So she turns, slowly and reluctantly she turns around to meet Diana's eyes.

And Diana doesn't flinch back; doesn't look away in disgust. She looks at Isabel's scars as if they are nothing.

Isabel's eyes are foggy, but she refuses to let anything slip. She swallows her fear and tries to present herself as anything other than what she is.

"Does it hurt?" Diana asks, her eyes moving down to damaged side of Isabel's face.

"Yes." Isabel whispers.

It hurts so much sometimes even after all this time. Isabel speculates that most of it is phycological, but sometimes she isn't sure. Especially when she treats the wound it throbs like it's fresh. Like it isn't decades old.

"Does this help?" Diana picks up the cream Isabel had been using. She turns it around her hand and examines the labels.

Isabel shrugs loosely. "I don't know."

Diana looks up, confused. She doesn't understand how Isabel couldn't know until she notices that there are no mirrors here where they're sitting.

"You won't look at it." It's almost a question, but Diana doesn't expect a response.

Isabel looks away from her.

"Why?" Diana doesn't expect a response from Isabel this time either. Isabel has never been open about anything really, especially things like this.

Isabel only shrugs again.

Breaking the safe space between them, Diana reaches out and takes Isabel's chin in her hand. She turns Isabel's face towards her own.

They stay like that for a long time, just looking at each other. Diana not letting go of Isabel; not wanting to.

Isabel swallows nervously.

Contact like this makes her uneasy. It has been so long since anyone has touched her at all. Since anyone has spoken to her like Diana has.

There was only ever one other person who Isabel would consider to be like Diana, but she is long gone now and has been for a great time.

"Can I help?" Diana cuts through the silence that had spread between them in the room. She gets on her knees so she's level with Isabel who is sitting at her desk chair.

Isabel is caught off guard by the question.

Why would Diana want to help? Isabel barely even wants to do this, and it's her own face.

Diana takes Isabel's lack of response as a yes-- the woman usually is very vocal when it comes to things she doesn't want --and so she lets go of Isabel's chin and takes a little bit of the cream onto her index finger. She moves that hand up to the top corner of Isabel's cheek where the scar starts highest on her face.

"Here?" She looks back into Isabel's eyes.

Unable to bring words past her lips, Isabel nods.

As gently as she can, Diana brings her finger into contact with Isabel's cheek and carefully rubs in the little bit of medication that was on her finger.

Isabel doesn't flinch or react at all, but Diana can feel her nervousness. She could cut through the tension with a knife.

Diana then realizes that this is the closest she has ever been to Isabel. Not just physically, but emotionally too.

Isabel will probably never let Diana do this again. She will pretend like this never happened. A small part of Diana doesn't want her to.

"Is that ok?" Diana continues to slowly and gently apply the contents of the container onto Isabel's scars.

Isabel nods.

It's a little while longer until Isabel speaks again.

"I'll go with you." She says softly.

Diana has already forgotten about why she came into Isabel's room in the first place. "What?"

"What you were talking about before," Isabel still doesn't make eye contact. "I'll go with you."

Diana remembers everything and smiles softly, suppressing how excited Isabel's decision really makes her. "You don't have to."

But Isabel can hear the happiness in her voice. How could she possibly say no after everything? "I will."

"Alright." Diana decides that she'll tell her more about it later.  
For now, she tends to Isabel's scars until she's covered the whole area. Which takes a long time at the pace Diana is going. Neither of them mind though.

"Finished." Diana pulls her hand from Isabel's face and leans back to her natural kneeling position.

"Thank you." Isabel says quietly.

To anyone else it might sound insincere or ungrateful, but Diana knows that Isabel's words mean so much more than just what she says.

Diana shakes her head. "Thank you for letting me help."

Isabel finally meets Diana's eyes.

"For trusting me." Diana finishes.

Isabel looks as if she's going to say something-- or do something --for a moment before she nods and turns away. She acts as if she's busy cleaning up the container and twisting the lid back on.

Diana takes this as her cue to leave. So she gets up off her knees and moves back to the door.

"Oh," she turns back to Isabel, who has somehow already had the time to wrap a scarf around the lower half of her face. "The thing I wanted to go to is a local fair. It's just for small businesses and things." She downplays her excitement.

Isabel hums. "Well, I know how much you love your local businesses."

Diana smiles and leans her head past the doorframe into Isabel's room, the rest of her body already out of the room.

"They're important." She says cheerfully before pulling away completely and leaving the room.

Isabel decides that she agrees with Diana, but only because Diana cares about them. If Diana didn't think they were important, Isabel would decide the same as her.

* * *

Diana wakes up early before her alarm goes off the next morning.

Her clock reads nine in the morning which means that there's still about an hour before the event begins. This gives her time to get ready.

She swings her legs over the edge of her bed and stretches her arms out. Yawning, she stands up and opens the curtains to let some light in the room.

The sky looks clear for now, and Diana hopes that it will stay that way. The weather can be unpredictable, but Diana wants today to be good. Even though a little rain wouldn't ruin anything, she just wants things to go smoothly. It's so rare that Isabel will go out at all, so having something go wrong today could cause her to leave the house even more infrequently. Most of all, Diana just wants Isabel to be happy. Whatever happens, as long as Isabel is having a good time things will be ok.

Diana leaves her room and crosses the hall to Isabel's so she can wake the other woman.

However, it seems Isabel has beat her to it because her room is empty.

Usually, the only times Isabel is awake before Diana are when she has spent the night in the basement, or when she hasn't gone to sleep at all.

Diana decides that the only way to solve this mystery is to check downstairs. So she leaves Isabel's room and follows the steps down to the kitchen.

This is where she finds a robed Isabel leaning against the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee clutched in her hands and held close to her body. Her hair is down and messily falling past her shoulders in dark waves. This is a pleasant surprise to Diana because Isabel almost never wears her hair down.

Isabel has a different knit scarf than the one she had last night wrapped around her lower face. Although it's a different scarf, Diana still recognizes it as one of the many that she made for Isabel.

Light from the kitchen window above the sink shines into the room and falls on Isabel's face and hair, making her seem as if she's glowing. Diana thinks for a second that maybe she actually is.

Caught of guard by this unusual occurrence, Diana just stands and stares until Isabel notices she's there and turns her head to look at her.

The sudden movement snaps Diana out of her trance.

"I couldn't sleep." Isabel explains, thinking that the reason Diana was staring must have been because Isabel is almost never awake before her.

Diana stutters. "Oh--" She doesn't know why it's so hard to speak all of a sudden. "Ok."

She moves into the kitchen and takes the coffee pot into her hand to pour herself a cup. Getting closer to Isabel does not help to ease the fluttering feeling in her stomach.

"What time is this event." Isabel's voice is groggy.

"It starts at ten, but we don't have to go that early if you're tired." Diana doesn't want to force Isabel out of the house if she's not feeling up to it.

Isabel shakes her head even though Diana isn't looking at her. "No, ten is fine." She takes this opportunity to lower her scarf and drink some of her coffee.

Diana takes a sip from her mug and turns back to Isabel.

"You're hair looks nice." As soon as the words leave her mouth Diana is cursing at herself in her head because where the fuck did that come from?

Isabel looks surprised. She takes a strand of her hair in her hand and eyes it. "Sure." She says sarcastically and-- is she blushing?

No, she couldn't be. Or, at least that's what Diana decides. It must just be a trick of the light.

* * *

They meet again after each of them have gotten dressed and Isabel comes down the stairs to regroup with Diana at the front door.

"Ready?" Diana asks, finding the house key out of her mess of keychains.

"Yes." Isabel tucks her hands in her jacket pockets.

Diana opens the front door and waits for Isabel to exit before she closes and locks it behind her.

Isabel is wearing tight fitting, black pants, combat boots, and a long coat that just passes her waist. She has a matching grey and black scarf covering her face that she has tucked into the collar of her jacket. Her hair is pulled up in a high ponytail that almost reaches the bottom of her neck.

Diana pretends not to think that Isabel looks stunning.

On the other hand, Diana is wearing a red striped turtle neck and dark pants with boots that resemble Isabel's, but don't quite give off the same vibe. She has a light colored jacket unbuttoned over her shirt and her hair is down, falling past her shoulders.

Isabel pretends not to think the same thing.

They walk together down the sidewalk, and Diana has to remind herself not to walk too quickly because Isabel might not be able to keep up with her.

There isn't much to look at for a while until they get into town-- which doesn't take very long --and then the street turns to cobblestone and small buildings emerge.

Almost immediately, Diana sees where the fair is set up.

Down the ways a bit there are white tents and stands put up close together and many people have gathered around that are walking the length of the street looking at everything.

Diana smiles to herself, happy to see everyone coming together like this.

Isabel is mostly just glad that the weather is cold enough for no one to question her scarf.

Isabel pulls her hands out of her pockets and points to the approaching tents. "That's it, correct?"

"Yep." Diana is hit suddenly with the realization that this is happening. That she is here, in this place, right now, wish Isabel.

After everything; after all they've been through. Here they are.

She feels something deep inside of her that she can't name, and in the spur of the moment, completely forgetting any worries or concerns, she takes Isabel's hand in her own and wraps her fingers around the other woman's.  
Isabel's eyes widen quickly and she jerks her head down towards their hands.

Extremely shocked and confused, she doesn't know what to do, and for a second she thinks that she's going to pull away and run, but Diana's hands are very warm and her skin is soft and it hits her that this was voluntary; that Diana actually wants to hold her hand. That fact alone confuses her more than anything. It's mind boggling to her that anyone would want to hold her hand; especially Diana. It doesn't make any sense, but there they are. Their hands intertwined and swinging slightly with the movement of their steps.  
Isabel's heart is pounding against her rib cage.

* * *

They walk around for hours that feel like minutes.

People are incredibly friendly and everything smells nice and Isabel feels the best she has felt in ages.

At the end of the day, when the sun begins to dip down, they have collected a couple bags of things and somehow find themselves holding hands again.

Isabel bought a couple of handmade soaps from a booth and Diana picked up some interestingly made yarns and a couple clay charms.

Diana leads them home through a path that Isabel has not taken before.

This way leads them through a less populated part of town and to a wooded area which eventually opens up into a large field that has a lake to the right of it.

Isabel finds herself wondering how she didn't know any of this was here at all. She decides then that she should get out more.

"Oh," Diana stops walking and lets go of Isabel's hand to point at a large flock of birds perched on a leafless tree. "Look at that."

Isabel turns to the birds.

"I thought they were leaves at first." Diana chuckles and then turns back to Isabel. "I'm really glad we did this." She says, feeling shy out of no where.

Isabel nods and shuffles on her feet. She doesn't know what to say that will express how she feels to Diana. Some part of her thinks that Diana already knows.

They're standing there frozen, not looking at each other, until Diana slowly brings her free hand up to the top of Isabel's scarf and starts pulling it down.

Isabel stays completely still, not knowing what Diana is doing. She doesn't want anyone to find them; to see her without the cloth covering her face.

"Diana..." Isabel looks like a deer caught in the headlights; still and wide eyed.

Diana takes a step towards Isabel, almost like she's leaning in. Her eyes flutter closed and they're so close and--

_snap_

_SWOSH_

Isabel jumps and Diana turns her head quickly out towards the source of the sound over the lake.

They look just in time to see the swarm of birds they had spotted only seconds ago all take flight into the sky. Their wings flapping quickly in harmony.

Diana had stepped on a twig that must've made a loud enough noise to scare them. Or maybe it was just a coincidence.

"Wow," Diana watches the birds cover the sky and disappear into the distance. "Isn't that beautiful?"

Isabel, not looking at the birds at all-- instead looking at Diana and how fascinated she is with the creatures --responds to a completely different question.

"Yes."


	7. We Are Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Block = Cocked
> 
> (Aka Diana and Isabel figure some things out alone.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took FOREVER for me to finish, but here it is. I really tried to do them and this story justice because a lot of important stuff goes down in this chapter, so hopefully it's alright. Have fun reading this garbage.  
> -PQ

* * *

 

The room is dark, lit only by the soft glow of the outside world that struggles to push through Diana's curtains.

The digital clock on her nightstand reads 2:46 in the morning.

It's been a couple days since, what Diana now calls, 'The Incident'.

This night has played out just like the rest of the nights since what happened between her and Isabel. Diana stares at the same ceiling, at the same hour of the morning, and in the same way that she has for the past few days.

When she's not staring at the ceiling in her room while she should be sleeping, Diana is practically dancing around Isabel. Which proves to be pretty easy because of how much time Isabel spends in the basement. However, whenever the chemist does decide to emerge from the basement, Diana tries her best to avoid the woman without being obvious about it. She just hopes that Isabel hasn't noticed.

The last thing Diana wants is for Isabel to think that she is uncomfortable with her, or that Isabel has done something wrong to put her off.

It's not like Diana is uncomfortable with Isabel, because she's not, it's just that she's uncomfortable with how she feels about her. And by 'uncomfortable', she means 'completely confused and afraid'.

Diana likes having Isabel around, but that's it; that has to be it. It's not like she's in love with Isabel. That would be outrageous.

So then why had she tried to kiss her?

Diana turns over onto her side and curls up into a tight ball. Her insides feel all twisted up and she hates it; this feeling. This feeling of helplessness, like she can't do anything. This confusion and loss of balance. Everything is different for her now and nothing makes sense.

Well, maybe not everything. Isabel is the same. Isabel is her constant; her port in the storm.

That fact alone is the most confusing out of all of this.

Isabel is hardly someone that Diana would describe as 'stable' or 'consistent'. The woman was always doing something new and could often be emotionally unpredictable. Sometimes, even when Diana thinks she knows everything about Isabel, the chemist ends up pulling out something new, and sometimes frightening, from her past or just revealing something about her personality that Diana was unaware of.

Somehow, in her hurricane of thoughts, Diana is eventually taken by sleep.

* * *

 She wakes up late in the afternoon, which is unusual for her.

Usually she's up and out of bed at an early hour of the morning, but lately this lack of sleep has been getting to her. It's not a good feeling for her to have woken up this late. She feels as if she's already wasted most of her day.

Then she thinks of it as a gift because she was probably able to avoid an encounter with Isabel.

Something that surprises Diana the most is how Isabel seems to be unaffected by completely everything that has happened. She acts the same way as ever. Diana is the only one that seems to be remotely bothered by what has-- or hasn't --happened.

Isabel's indifference makes Diana feel a bit childish. She can't understand why everything has to be so weird for her now. After all, nothing really did happen. Isabel was certainly acting that way at least, and maybe Diana should too. It's not like she can process her feelings anyway, so she might as well just ignore them and carry on. If Isabel isn't going to freak out about it, why should Diana?  
But it's a lot easier said than done.

Downstairs, Isabel is no where to be found, so Diana assumes that she must be working on something in the basement.  
That gives Diana all the alone time she needs to eat breakfast and distract herself with the paper.

She tells herself that it's a good thing Isabel isn't around. That the more time Diana spends alone, the better. All she needs is a little time alone to figure things out.

These feelings aren't real, she's just caught up in something that isn't actually happening. She'll just give it time and everything will go back to normal.

She can't help but feel a longing though. As much as she can say that she doesn't want Isabel around, she still misses her a little. Avoiding the woman is difficult when all Diana wants is to be around her.

A cabinet slams closed.

Diana swears and spins around to find Isabel standing behind her in the kitchen, mug in hand.

"Isabel," Diana scolds. "The socks!"

Seemingly unbothered by Diana's tone, Isabel looks down at her sock-covered feet, remembering that she has them on. "Sorry." She mumbles.

Diana shakes her head. "I didn't mean to snap." She sighs.

Isabel shrugs and turns around to the coffee maker.

Once Isabel's back is turned, Diana is able to pull herself together a little. She takes in Isabel's state.

The chemist's hair is slightly disheveled, barely staying in the messy bun that she has pulled it into on top of her head. She looks tired and slightly hunched over from exhaustion. Diana's suspicions of Isabel's state are only confirmed when she sees her fill up her mug with coffee.  
Diana glances at the clock on the wall.

"Isabel?" She prompts.

"What?" The other woman turns around to face Diana from the kitchen.

"Have you just woken up?" She doesn't need Isabel to respond to know the answer to her question.

Isabel holds the coffee up to her face and lets the warm steam brush against her skin. "Yes."

"Isabel." Diana almost sounds like she's talking to a child.  
The chemist hums in response.  
"It's well into the afternoon." Diana finishes.

Isabel looks at Diana blankly. "I'm aware of the time." She turns away. "I was up late."

Diana wants to tell her that sleeping in this late isn't good for her, but she remembers that she's supposed to be avoiding the woman so she stops herself. It's not like Isabel would listen to her anyway. The chemist seems to have no regard for her own health. Which would bother Diana if she cared.

Which she doesn't.

Or that's what she keeps telling herself.

When Diana doesn't keep pushing the subject, Isabel begins drinking her coffee with her back still turned. She decides it's safe now to carry on with her day without Diana's scolding. She's not a child after all, she knows how to take care of herself; she just chooses not to.

Diana wants to ask her what she was up late doing. If she was working on something new or changing something old. Maybe she was just having trouble sleeping again. If it was the nightmares, Diana would want to know so she can help. Stopping the flow of questions from spilling out of her mouth is extremely difficult for Diana, but she manages. Isabel probably wouldn't be very happy about an interrogation anyway. Especially when she has just woken up. Still, Diana can't help but worry, despite her best efforts.

Isabel hesitates before going back down into the depths of the basement. She expected Diana to press on, to question and prod. It wasn't normal for Diana to leave her to her own devices. She almost wanted Diana to ask more, or maybe not ask, just be normal.

As she walks down the stairs into her lab, she sips on her coffee and thinks about the past couple of days because the more she remembers, the more she realizes how weird Diana has been acting.

Sure, the amazon has been a little bit less invasive recently, but she hadn't considered it unusual until now. Had she done something wrong? Was Diana cross with her?

These questions wouldn't be bothersome to the old Isabel, but she had gotten used to Diana being around her, and she didn't want that to change. Isabel hadn't been alone in years, so long that she actually can't really remember what it's like. Diana filled that hole in her heart a long time ago, although she won't admit that to herself.

A small tear begins to form in her sense of security. She begins to wonder if that security has been false all along.

* * *

"Diana?"

It's been days since Isabel realized something wasn't right between her and Diana. Days that have consistently shown the same kind of avoidance from Diana.

She's standing in the doorway to Diana's room. It's night time and Diana is sitting on the edge of her bed, her nightclothes on.

The amazon looks up. "Yes?" It's a rare thing for Isabel to address Diana without being promoted. This leads Diana down a path of worry that she quickly stops herself from getting lost in.

Isabel makes a face that resembles frustration, like she's fighting herself with something, and then she speaks again.

"Is something..." She really doesn't want to do this. "Wrong?" But she does it anyway.

Isabel hates confrontation. Especially when it comes to emotions or personal conflicts. She doesn't deal well with issues like this, and she doesn't like to ask people about their feelings.

It's been so long since she's had someone to comfort or care for, she isn't sure how to do it anymore. Even the idea of things like this makes her extremely uncomfortable. She wants to crawl out of her skin.

Diana is taken back by the question. She tries to pretend like she doesn't know what's going on. "What do you mean?"

The last thing Isabel wants is to be forced to elaborate. She doesn't want to explain anything that she feels. Diana should just know; Diana should know if something is wrong. She always knows when something is wrong.

She bites down on the inside of her cheek and tries to force herself to do something. "Never mind." _Failure_.

She turns and leaves.

Diana wants to stop her; to grab a hold of her and make her stay. She wants to explain everything. She wants to hold Isabel like she did before, to make her know that everything is okay.

Instead, she watches Isabel leave.

* * *

 

Isabel doesn't go back to her room; she goes into the basement and closes the door behind her.

She needs to think.

With her hands behind her back, she paces up and down the room, turning over everything in her mind.

She feels like a mess. Like a clutter of twisted memories and conflicting emotions. Things aren't how they used to be, she knows this, but she doesn't just know it; she feels it too.

And it feels like shit.

She slams her fists against the table that stretches across the length of the room.

Overwhelmed and frustrated, she stands there for a while. Calming herself down from the rage that had built up inside of her, she sits down on the ground and stares at her hands.

 _These_ _hands_.

Her hands.

Her hands which have done so much over the length of her life. Created and killed and destroyed and maybe even cared at one point. Her hands that have done unspeakable things. Things that would damn her to hell in an instant if there even was a place like that. Unforgivable, unspeakable things that she didn't even regret.

That was almost the worst part; that she didn't regret any of it. None of the death or suffering or pain caused by her own hands. If she could go back in time to when the first war started, she would do the same things as before. Not because they got her to where she is now, but because she made such amazing advancements and discoveries.

Of course, those achievements came with a death count, but she didn't think anything of it. The people she killed meant nothing to her then and they mean nothing to her now.

Her hands are stained with invisible blood; they always will be. No matter how hard she scrubs them under water, no matter how much soap she uses, there will always be blood imbedded in her skin. Blood that is not her own.

And somehow, these hands that have done so much evil, are the same hands that Diana held onto only days ago.

But why? Why would Diana want to touch her like that? Why would Diana want to touch her at all?

Diana, the becon of hope. The hope that stood against everything Isabel worked on and fought for. The hope that had the chance to kill Isabel the first time they met.

And the hope that let her live.

Something drops onto the palm of her hand and snaps her out of her thoughts.

Isabel touches the liquid with her finger and then brings the same finger up to her face.

She's crying.

"What have you done?" She whispers harshly to the air.

When was the last time she cried? She can't remember.

 _What_ _have you_ _done?_

But who is she talking to? Diana?  
Or herself?

* * *

When Diana wakes up the next morning, Isabel is not in her room.

This is unfortunate because Diana was hoping to have worked up her courage enough to confront the woman right there. The more she has to look for her, the more her courage shrinks and she feels like backing out.

If Isabel isn't in her room, the next place Diana would check is the basement. Isabel's lab is pretty much her second bedroom so it would be no surprise to Diana if she found the chemist there.

Even though she knows Isabel doesn't like her in the basement, she needs to do this.

She knocks on the heavy wooden door at the end of the stairs to the basement that blocks off Isabel's lab from the rest of the house.

When there's no response, Diana pushes in.

"Isabel?"

She is greeted with an unsettling silence.

Panic growing inside of her, Diana scans the room quickly and spots Isabel curled up underneath her lab table.

Naturally, Diana jumps to the worst possibility as to why Isabel is on the ground. So she moves swiftly towards Isabel's body and kneels down next to it.

"Isabel?" She questions again, this time a lot more concerned.

There's no response, but Diana calms down when she sees the rise and fall of Isabel's chest. She's not dead, just sleeping.

The scarf Isabel usually wears around her face has slipped off in her sleep and is now sitting in a pile by her arm.

Diana thinks that maybe she pulled it off because there's a small piece stuck clutched in her hand. She frowns when she realizes that it can't be comfortable for Isabel to have things like that covering her face all the time. Especially with her scars. The cloth probably irritates her skin, but she wears them anyway.

Isabel almost looks peaceful here all curled up in herself on the cold floor of the basement. The features of her face are soft and all the stress that she usually carries in the creases of her skin seems to have faded away. She doesn't look angry like she normally does. The expression of general irritation is gone and has been replaced with something much softer.

Since she's laying on her right side, the left portion of Isabel's face is completely visible. This allows Diana to see the entirety of Isabel's scaring.

Up close like this the scars seem worse than when Diana has seen them before.

Diana notices that while Isabel sleeps, she makes a quite whistling noise when she inhales.

It's such a small detail that Diana isn't surprised she's never noticed it before. It's so quiet that she can only hear it through the silence of the basement.

The room is so hidden away from the outside world that Diana can't hear any of the birds or wind against the windows. Maybe that's why Isabel likes it so much.

Diana begins to think that maybe being away from so much of the world makes the chemist feel safer or more comfortable. Her heart aches at the idea that Isabel has strayed so far from happiness that she would spend her days locked away in a dark basement just to escape the world around her. It just shows that Isabel still holds many of her old habits and qualities. In some ways, that's a good thing, but in other ways Diana knows it's unhealthy.

Isabel's eyes shoot open and she jerks back when she sees Diana in front of her. Her head hits one of the legs of her desk and she inhales sharply.

Instinctively, Diana reaches out to touch the woman to ask if she's ok, but she stops her hand halfway to Isabel's arm when she realizes that it won't help their situation.

"What are you doing?" Isabel hisses, her voice raspy from old chemical burns and sleep. Her eyes widen when she feels the cold air on her exposed scarring and she immediately tries to cover herself up.

Diana opens her mouth to speak, but she isn't sure what to say. What had she been doing? The sight of Isabel like this, vulnerable and afraid, brings back painful memories.

"You weren't upstairs," Diana tries to keep her voice steady. "I got worried."

Not looking at Diana, the chemist shields the wounded side of her face and coils up into herself like a snake.

"It's not safe." Isabel snaps, not sure why that's the response she chooses. Realistically, she shouldn't care if it's safe or not for Diana. Her reasoning should be that she doesn't want Diana snooping around in her work, but that's not what she says.

Diana's expression softens.

"It's me, Isabel." A gentle reminder to Isabel that Diana can't be hurt by any kind of gas the chemist has made. Even though Diana knows that Isabel probably hasn't forgotten.

Something in Isabel's eyes change, she suddenly remembers why she fell asleep in her lab last night. The memory makes her want to disappear. This is supposed to be her safe space. She's supposed to be able to retreat into the depths of the basement without being bothered.  
Diana has taken so much from her, and even this space Diana calls hers is not her own; not completely.

So why does she have these feelings?

These feelings that she can't name or is afraid to. The only thing she should feel towards Diana is hatred. Hatred for everything she has stolen from her. For everything she has ruined.

And yet here they are.

There is silence between them for what feels like an eternity.

Diana reaches out slowly, giving Isabel time to resist or move away. Softly, she takes Isabel's chin and holds it for a second until Isabel looks at her.

Her eyes are sad, scared maybe, and they're saying something that Diana doesn't quite understand. She swallows nervously and Diana sees it.

Gently, Diana turns Isabel's face towards her. She wants her to know that she doesn't have to be afraid. Diana has always told her that she doesn't have to hide, she doesn't have to shield herself from Diana. Even so, Isabel has never seemed to trust her. It's not like she can blame her though, they don't exactly have the best past together.

Isabel looks away from Diana, ashamed and trying to hide it.

"Isabel..." Diana whispers even though they're alone. She moves her hand to Isabel's unscarred cheek and cups it softly. Isabel looks back at her.

"What are you doing?" Isabel says again, her tone different than before.

Diana doesn't know. She doesn't know what she's doing, but here she is. She's moving on autopilot as she leans closer to Isabel. A large part of her expects Isabel to move back, to try and get as far away from Diana as possible, but she doesn't move.

Diana's heart is pounding like thunder in her chest; she feels like she could run right now and never look back. She can't remember a time that she was as nervous as she is now.

Afraid of so many things, but here they are.

There's only inches between them when Diana closes her eyes. Her eyelids flutter shut and she ignores everything in her body that's telling her to stop, because she knows for once that this is what she wants.

And then there's no more space between them and Isabel should be pulling back, she should be fighting Diana, or maybe slapping her across the face because _how_ _dare she._

But she isn't.

And here they are.


	8. Author Notes

Ok, so, it's been a while, and upon revisiting this story I have come to a decision. Don't worry too much though, it's nothing drastic. I just feel like as of right now, I like the way the story has concluded. It's not completely over, I'll always come back and add little things here and there, but for the most part, the main story line is done. After this chapter, anything that I add will just be little things about their relationship and fluffy stuff (and maybe some angst here and there because I can't help myself).

Basically, when I started this fic, I thought it was just going to be a collection of unconnected drabbles, but then it kind of grew a mind of its own and became a story. So from here on out, everything is going to still be connected, it's just going to be little highlighted points if you get what I'm trying to say.

So the point is that I'm not going to have a strict upload schedule and I'm not going to be really stressed about uploading chapters because I'm just going to upload when I get struck with an idea.

I'm really sorry if this is disappointing to some people, but I do really feel good about where the story is right now.

You all have no idea how happy you've made me and how much you've inspired me to keep writing even when I feel like it's not worth it.

Anyway, don't see this as a goodbye, it's more of a see you later.

And I will, so, thanks for reading.

Thank you, thank you, thank you,

-PQ


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